Former Newcastle United winger Chris Waddle believes Bruno Guimaraes will do well to stay in the Arsenal first team following his £75m summer move, while Sandro Tonali looks nothing more than an average player after his £100m switch to Tottenham.
Newcastle received £175m for the pair, but both face challenges after the international break. While the club did not plan on losing Brazilian Guimaraes, the sale of Tonali was part of United's rebuild, with Spurs willing to meet their valuation of the Italian.
Guimaraes' Arsenal struggle
Guimaraes' exit came after the former captain requested to leave, with Arsenal finally agreeing to pay £75m for the 28-year-old after a long stand-off. However, an early injury meant he has not featured as much as he would have liked, and his first start in the league for the Gunners came in their 3-0 defeat to Brighton last time out, prompting speculation he may lose his place when the fixtures resume.
“I think Bruno Guimaraes will do well to keep his shirt in the team,” Waddle said. “Arsenal have a very high level.
“He's a good player. Obviously we know how he plays, he carries the ball, brings good energy, and gets around the park. But at Newcastle he was the main man in a way, and he had a lot of confidence and belief.
“He's not guaranteed a starting spot at Arsenal, so that'll be a little bit difficult for him to accept. I'm sure if he gets in and plays the way he can, he'll keep his place. But I thought it was a surprising move for Arsenal to bring him in.
“I think he's a good player, but I wouldn't put him up there as a must-buy. I think Newcastle fans liked him and he did a job for them, you can't say he didn't.
“But he'll do well to keep a permanent starting shirt at Arsenal. To be the first name picked in midfield alongside Declan Rice and in there with Martin Odegaard, he's going to have to play exceptionally well.”
Tonali's difficult start at Tottenham
While Guimaraes has had his moments already in an Arsenal shirt, notably scoring against Sunderland in a 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light, Tonali has had a more difficult time across North London at Spurs.
Italy's 4-1 victory over Turkiye this week was his first involvement in a winning side this season, and he came in for criticism as Newcastle won 2-0 at Tottenham in August. His time in North London has not yet gone to plan, with Roberto de Zerbi's side failing to win any of their first five Premier League games to sit bottom of the table in the current international break.
“Newcastle fans will be loving it,” Waddle told Betpack. “You know what fans are like, they'll be cheering and thinking, ‘To get a hundred million pounds for him, we're rubbing our hands.’
“Because he hasn't done anything at Tottenham so far and he just looks like an average player there.
“So I just think Newcastle now will be thinking it's unbelievable money for all the players they've sold. Look at Anthony Gordon. . . all right, he's in and out of the team at Barcelona, he starts some, he doesn't start others. He's going to get a lot of the ball and a lot of time because Barcelona dominate football matches, and he probably will have a good season.
“But Tonali is at Tottenham now, and given the amount of money Newcastle got for these players, Newcastle will be quite happy, especially with the Tonali one, because he's not started well at Tottenham.”
